The Eighth Year
by HeirOfHufflepuff394
Summary: Back from the terrifying battle against the Dark Lord and his army, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are back to complete their final year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry... But they don't know what's in store for them next.
1. Chapter 1

In the Great Hall, chattering and laughter appeared everywhere. Children hugged and waved and smiled, greeting each and every one of their friends back to another thrilling year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The candles above gleamed with delight in midair; illuminating bright lights everywhere and casting a warm, friendly glow. Three familiar heads stood close together at the Gryffindor table, watching others with amusement as everyone silenced themselves and watched the timid, petrified first years queue to the front of the Great Hall, waited to be Sorted into their Houses.

Harry was scanning through all the teachers in the front, and caught the brown, massive eyes of the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid. He raised a hand and smiled at Harry gratefully. Hagrid looked more tired and exhausted than anyone else behind the staff table.

Like every year, Professor McGonagall, her hair grayer than ever, positioned a stool in front of the Hall and placed a very frayed, patched, and worn out hat on the middle of it, with a brim on the top, as a mouth.

McGonagall was silent while putting the Sorting Hat down, her thin lips pursed together, took out a scroll and starting calling out the first year's names. Harry found it eerie that the hat did not break into a song, like it usually would, before it would begin to Sort.

"Ander, Jane." McGonagall said sternly. A girl with a blonde stream of hair coming down and a mouse- like face, step by step she made it towards the stool and plopped herself onto it. One by one, each first year was called to sit on the stool and be Sorted into their Houses. It took a while for the hat to contemplate and divide them into Houses, but for others, it would take only seconds.

Once in a while, the rusty hat would shout "GRYFFINDOR!", and cheers and applause would congratulate the first year to the Gryffindor House. Harry, Ron and Hermione would clap along rapidly with the others, and every few seconds the three best friends would give each other a meaningful look.

When all of the petite first years were all done being Sorted, McGonagall paced to the staff table and cleared her throat. All whispers and conversations stopped almost instantaneously. Her beady eyes were scanning through the Great Hall at all the students.

"Another year at Hogwarts! Begin the feast!" And with the flick of McGonagall's wand, food appeared on everyone's golden plates, and pumpkin juice filled in everyone's golden goblets. Ron, almost instantly, acted to this great advantage and dug in to as much as he could. With a chicken leg in one hand, and a ham sandwich in the other, plus chewing obnoxiously, Hermione gave a look of revolt.

"Ron, it's great that it's another year at Hogwarts, but it doesn't mean that you have to chew like there's no tomorrow," Hermione interjected looking disgusted.

Ron returned a look of nuisance. "Sorry, love. It's just that…the food..." Hermione heaved a great sigh and returned back to her mashed potatoes.

After dessert, by another slash of McGonagall's wand, the food cleared away and all the students turned their attention back to her.

"Welcome, welcome, to another fantastic year at Hogwarts! If you are an old student, welcome back! If you are a new student, welcome to Hogwarts! I'm sure Hogwarts will bring you enjoyment and amusement to everyone, with a term filled with magical education. Of course many things have changed since the last year, with many lost loved ones—"She glanced a look at Harry. "—and with many with thick worries about their families, I am glad to reckon that Hogwarts is still in progress. With a big accomplishment from many of the students here, the dark lord has been vanquished—"A blast of vague whispers and unsteady movement echoed through the hall. "— and we are now safe at Hogwarts… The rules apply for everyone. Do not linger outside of the corridors after nine o'clock. No magic during anytime besides classes. No students can enter the Forbidden Forest. The Hogsmeade trips are posted in your house common rooms for only third years to seventh years. For Quidditch tryouts, please talk to your house's Quidditch captain. I wish you all a happy term; good luck to all.

A big round of applause appeared through the hall and the students started to depart. Ron and Hermione stayed close together, with Harry lurking around behind them. Wondering where Ginny was, he gave one last farewell to Hagrid, and sidled to the Gryffindor common room to get a good night's sleep.

Everyone in front of the massive picture of the Fat Lady was looking for the password to the common room. All the young ones scrambling about here and there; others were frantically trying to discover the password. With Ron's arm over Hermione's shoulder, Hermione took it away immediately and bellowed out, "I know the password! Head Girl coming through!"

Sticking out her chest to show everyone her gleaming Head Girl's badge, she squeezed through everyone and shrieked through all the rough commotion, "The password is 'Mischief Managed'!" Harry gave a look of being taken aback. All the memories with the Marauder's Map flashed back to him reminiscently.

Once saying the password, the Fat Lady swung open instantly and all the Gryffindors filed themselves inside. While the three best friends got inside with all the ruckus and turmoil, they settled themselves in the most comfortable armchairs of the room, next to the flickering and warm fire. An awkward silence flashed through the three while Hermione leaned her gentle head on Ron's broad shoulder.

Ron was the first one to break the heavy silence. "So…our eighth year…we're back."

"Last year we went hunting for Horcruxes. It's our seventh year, Ron," Hermione pointed out hesitantly.

A head full of red, flaming hair appeared into sight and Harry unsurprisingly, straightened up at once, and a wide, inevitable grin appeared on his face. Ginny strolled towards Harry a set herself onto Harry's lap. He wrapped his arms around Ginny's slim waist.

"I wonder what this year has in store for us," Harry added, quite intrigued.

"We have to promise each other, no matter what happens to us, dating or not, we have to stick together and stay friends," Hermione said. "Nothing is the same without all you guys."

Everyone looked at one and another, and nodded mutely. "Things have changed for us. A lot. But we still have to move on with life and stick together," Ginny said.

With one last look at each other, Ron pecked Hermione on her rosy cheek for a good night, Harry squeezed Ginny's warm hand as a farewell, and the four went up to their dormitories for a restful night of sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun shined vividly through the windows of Hogwarts, calling out a brand new day. Harry rolled around on his four-poster bed, doubting that the night had flown by so quickly. He sat upright on it, and pulled aside the fancy hangings. Ron had already woken up; he was already pulling on his robes and grumpily stuffing his wand into his pocket.

"Mornin'," Harry muttered under his breath. A full day awaits for him, filled with classes and homework. How fun.

Harry felt his forehead for his scar. He could barely make out the imprint of the lightning bolt shape etched in. After he destroyed Voldemort last year, no pain or aching ever seared through it ever again.

Ron and Harry left the boy's dormitory together, walked down the stairs, and into the immersive Great Hall wafted with the smells of eggs and tea. The boys found Ginny and Hermione sitting together, and reading _The Daily Prophet_ with absolutely no interest at all. Assembling themselves next to the girls, Ron instantly grabbed a forkful of bacon and started to devour it all down his esophagus. Harry saw Hermione give him another look of displeasure.

"So… anything new on the _Prophet_?" Ron asked unenthusiastically.

"No, just some articles about Voldemort being destroyed and some Death Eaters going to Azkaban is all," Hermione responded bluntly.

Ron gave another shudder from hearing the name.

After breakfast, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny walked together straight to Potions class, which was taught by Professor Slughorn. Right as they entered, whispers and gasps broke instantly with students gaping right at Harry. Ron was puffing out his chest and very amused to see that some of the attention had turned towards him too.

While the four of them awkwardly scoured around the room, managing to find seats, Professor Slughorn and his big round circle of a belly had already casually walked in.

"Hello!" Slughorn exclaimed in his usual cheerful tone, with an avid smile spreading across his face. "I suspect all your summers have been well! We finally got rid of the Dark Lord! Hurrah! Hurrah!" Harry gave Ron a rather distressed look. "I suppose all of you have looked through your potions book over the summer, have you not? Today, as a rather fresh start of another year, we are going to be making the very famous and powerful truth serum, Veritaserum!" Animated chatter waved through the classroom. "Now I know that this type of potion may take weeks, possibly _months_ to brew, but everyone is this classroom are seventh years. I reckon that we are old and mature enough to take on such a hard task. The instructions are on the board." Slughorn pointed his wand at the vacant chalkboard and fancy writing suddenly appeared on all over it. "Get along, get started now."

Suddenly, the rustling of papers and the creaking of cauldrons could be heard throughout the classroom, with students sprinting everywhere (mostly Hermione), trying to obtain the ingredients for the potion. Ron turned around and glanced at Hermione a few paces away from him and eyed her with envy; she was already on the fifth step.

As Harry cut up his roots and drowned them down his cauldron, Ron's potion seemed to have backfired a little. With his flaming red hair sticking up and together on the ends of his scalp, his face squinted together in frustration, Hermione seemed to have accomplished much. Her cauldron had no color at all to it, and minuscule bubbles were coming from the top of it. She clapped her hands together in satisfaction, and skipped off to Professor Slughorn in delight.

"Professor Slughorn! Is my Veritaserum coming off well?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"Ah—yes! Mrs. Granger here has set a perfect example of how the potion is made; the colorless color, the odorless smell, absolutely _perfect_!"He was beaming and seemed just as happy and pleased as Hermione.

As everyone struggled with the Veritaserum, with smoke everywhere and peculiar sounds coming out of many cauldrons, Slughorn finally dismissed all his students of Potions for the day. Everyone but Hermione sighed with great relief. The students quickly dropped their cauldrons at the front table and walked outside to their next class.

"Harry, may I have a word with you?" Slughorn whispered to him urgently.

"Of course sir, what is it?" Harry asked in the nicest tone he could use.

"It's about the Slug Club…well, I reckon we are having a 'back to Hogwarts meeting' and I would like everyone to in the club to share their personal experiences…" Harry had lost him at 'Slug Club'. If only he could get out of this tedious conversation…

Then he saw him. All in one swift movement, out of the corner of his eye, he saw him. A very recognizable face was behind a table, gathering up his books …Then Harry shook his own tiresome head to get the image out.

_It can't be. It can't be. No. I'm just hallucinating. It's not possible… _Harry repeated this over and over multiple times in his brain; trying to let it soak in and understand.

"Harry, is everything all right?" Slughorn asked in a very concerned voice.

"Yes, everything is good Professor. Now if you'll excuse me…" Harry walked around him and left the classroom hastily, leaving Slughorn staring back at him, not yet done finishing what he was about to say.

"Harry, are you okay? You look quite pale." Hermione asked as she, Ron, and Ginny were waiting for him outside.

"Er… yeah. I'm great..." Harry lied.

"Hey. I have to go. I have Transfiguration next. Don't want McGonagall hexing me for being tardy, do you? Ginny said sarcastically.

"No… of course not. Bye, love." Harry kissed Ginny's head quickly, and she ran down the corridor gracefully, with her bright hair trailing behind her. Harry watched her, fully mesmerized.

"Harry. Harry… HARRY!" Hermione snapped and rolled her eyes.

"What? Don't roll your eyes towards me like that; you would've done the same thing to Ron!" Harry scoffed.

Ron answered back by flaring his nostrils.

"POTTER! WEASLEY!" A familiar voice suddenly appeared through the corridor—too familiar in fact…

And just in that instant, a handsome boy with white-blond hair and expensive robes came into the sight of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered tactlessly. "He's back." Then he seemed to have finally realized what was going on and erupted immediately. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, MALFOY?"

"Ron, be quiet." Hermione said tranquilly.

"M-M-Malfoy. Why—are—you—here…?" Ron asked, his whole body literally shaking in rage.

"I'm back for my eighth year of course!" Malfoy responded in a jovial voice that no students in Hogwarts would have ever expected.

"What happened to you?" Hermione asked shockingly.

"What do you mean by, 'What happened to you?'?" Malfoy replied, looking at Hermione delicately.

"You're…so nice all of a sudden. What happened? Cheering Charm? Liquid Luck?" Harry requested. Ron looked as if he was about to have a temper tantrum.

"No…" Malfoy said in a confused tone.

"THEN WHAT IS IT, YOU PRAT?" Ron shouted while most of the students in the corridor started to look at him curiously and wonder what was going on.

"My father is currently serving a life-sentence in Azkaban." Malfoy said shamelessly.

"And we have something to do with this because…" Ron snapped rudely.

"I'm telling all of you this because he was put into a Hearing just last week, and the Ministry of Magic declared him a life-time sentence in Azkaban for being a Death Eater," Draco said as simply as ever.

"We don't care about your petty father, Malfoy," Ron snarled.

"No… I never meant that. What I was meaning to say was that my father is now out of my life and has no control over me anymore," He said, looking around from Harry, to Ron, to Hermione with his grey, calm eyes. "Since he cannot take over me anymore, I've decided myself to come back to Hogwarts for my eighth year so I could—"

Suddenly, Ron immediately threw his hand into the pocket of his robes and took out his wand. Hermione and Harry tried to haul him back with all the strength that they could gain.

"YOU LIAR! YOU FILTHY, BLOODY LIAR! YOU DON'T MEAN WHAT YOU SAY!" Ron shouted as loudly as he could. His face was turning a deep shape of crimson to match his hair, and his hands turned as white as ever from clenching them too hard. "PETRIFICUS TOTA—"

"I am not lying at all," Malfoy whispered softly.

Ron stopped instantly. He dropped his wand back into his pockets and glared at Draco intimidatingly. Hermione muttered something to Harry that sounded like, "Am I the only one the feels like Malfoy is the victim here?" More confused than before, Harry shrugged and turned his attention towards Draco once more.

"Wait. What do you mean, Malfoy?" Harry asked questioningly.

"I wanted…" Draco tried to finish. "I just wanted—"

"JUST SAY IT, YOU GIT!" Ron shouted. Draco pretended that Ron didn't say a word to him and continued with his sentence that was so hard for him to say.

"I've never got the chance to say this. I'm…s-s-sorry for e-everything I have e-ever done to all of y-y-you…" Draco said intently, shaking between every single syllable he was saying aloud.

As Hermione widened her eyes, Harry blinked, and Ron gaped, the three of them stood in complete, awkward silence as Draco stood there, tapping his polished shoe, waiting for an answer from one of them.

"What did you just say?" Hermione asked, leaning towards Draco a little closer and narrowing her eyes.

"_I'm sorry." _Draco pronounced the words very precisely and carefully. Suddenly, he eyed Harry, Ron, and Hermione one last time, and walked away without another word from his mouth.

**AN: Hey guys! So... This is my second chapter. Thank you guys for all the great reviews! Three in ONE chapter! Haha. That's pretty good for a beginner, you know(;**

**Anyways, I apologize for the many mistakes. You know, I'm not the best writer in the world and I really wanted to post my second chapter by the end of this week, so I did it in a kind of a rush... I'm also kind of sorry for this chapter not being as intriguing and good as the first one, but hopefully it will get better and better throughout each one. I ran out of ideas on this one so I made it revolve around Draco. But basically, this whole story is about Draco- well, you'll see :)**

**Thanks guys and don't forget to keep reading my stories!**

**~HeirOfHufflepuff394**

**P.S. Check out InventorOfFirebolt's Fanfictions...**


	3. Chapter 3

As Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked back to the Gryffindor common room from Charms three days later, Ron still had the incident in his mind.

"Wow…That was incredible. Incredible, I tell you, for all of it to be just one simple dream…" Ron said merely.

"Ron. That wasn't in your head. It was never a dream. It is something called real life." Hermione pointed out tiredly. She stalked off towards the Fat Lady, called out the password, and stomped through the portrait hole.

"Merlin, Hermione must be having a really rough day today, don't you reckon? I wonder what's happened to her," Ron said with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Ron— get this straight. Malfoy came back for real. Those were not dreams." Harry said firmly, and trudged towards the common room right after Hermione.

The next day, the rain was pounding on the windows as Harry and Ron went downstairs for breakfast in the Great Hall, exciting and eager chatter spread throughout the common room.

"Was' going on?" Ron asked simply, still cranky from Harry waking him up early.

"Next Hogsmeade meeting is this weekend!" Ginny squealed with absolute delight. "Harry… let's go to The Three Broomsticks. I have things to tell you."

With a slight nod of his head of untidy black hair, he led Ginny out of the Gryffindor common room with his arm around her waist.

During breakfast, the whole Great Hall was filled with anticipation, with guys dashing around trying to find dates for the weekend, and girls squealing with their friends of how jovial they were.

Hermione sat with her usual friends, with a massive book in her hands and large bags under her eyes, although looking quite happy.

"Love, are you alright? You look a little overcharged…" Ron asked sympathetically, stroking his girlfriend's head.

"Yes, in fact I am. I just finished a 16 inch essay for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and it took the whole night yesterday." She replied while yawing heavily.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny sat in silence for a little while, and all of the post owls started flying in, as usual. Harry started to look depressed again; clearly he still missed Hedwig very much.

A blackish-brown tawny owl started flying towards Hermione, landing on her goblet of pumpkin juice. The tawny owl dropped a roll her parchment from his beak, and Hermione hurried to pick it up from the table. She unrolled the piece of parchment eagerly and started scanning the short letter.

Squealing with absolute contentment, Hermione said rather noisily, "Yes! I have Head Girl duty this weekend!" Doing some kind of jig, Ron stopped her just in time.

"Let us see the letter, Hermione." Harry asked her kindly. She handed him and Ron the letter and they both started scanning it as willingly as Hermione did.

_Dear Miss. Granger,_

_ As you know, you are Head Girl of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Duty starts for you this Saturday. Please see me in my office in the morning. The password to pass the gargoyles is "Butterbeer"._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Professor McGonagall_

"Hermione—this weekend? But we're going to Hogsmeade this weekend!" Ron exclaimed while pouting.

"Oh, well Ron, I'm sorry but I would have to skip this weekend. Being Head Girl is a very important job and I can't blow it off." As Hermione gave a big lecture, Ron sighed deeply and turned back to his cereal .

Throughout the week, the days for Harry, Ron, and Hermione were filled with homework, homework, and more homework. N.E.W.T.S. were coming up in a few months, and their professors wanted them to be ready. As Harry and Ron would do anything to get out of this, Hermione, like always, looked as if she was having the time of her life.

Saturday came very slowly, and Ron and Harry were as weary as ever. Although Harry was in a much better mood than Ron, only because at the end of the week he would be spending quality time with Ginny.

In the morning, the Great Hall was as loud and skeptical as ever before. Students were already lining up waiting to be checked off by Peeves to enter into Hogsmeade. Harry and Ginny walked through together, holding hands, as Ron wished Hermione a good luck and kissed her goodbye.

"Bye, love. See you at night." Ron whispered into her ear. Hermione hugged him hastily and paced out of the Great Hall.

The corridors were emptying, and Hermione was soon the only one in it. Walking to the headmistress's office, as instructed in her letter, Hermione was not only excited, but a tiny bit of nervousness was crawling inside her stomach.

_What will Professor McGonagall tell me to do? She can't possibly make me work with Peeves, could she? Or make me clean the broomsticks for the Quidditch teams? Oh for heaven's sakes, this is not a detention. This is a Head Girl duty. Calm down. I thought you wanted this job at Hogwarts. It can't possibly be that bad._

While thinking of all the feasible jobs that McGonagall could've assigned her to do, Hermione finally appeared in front of the Headmaster's door.

"Butterbeer," Hermione said very precisely and willingly.

The gargoyle stepped away and Hermione ran through the wooden door. After going up the hard, stone steps, she finally found McGonagall's office and knocked politely.

"Come in," said a very scratchy voice from the inside. Hermione pushed the door open and said her amenities.

"Good morning, Hermione. Now we have our Head Girl…The Head Boy should be here soon…" There was a light knock on the door. "Ah, yes. Here he is. Come in," McGonagall repeated softly.

A very polished shoe walks in; McGonagall smiles and Hermione gasps.

"Hello, Draco. I know you two have met before, but both of you, Mr. Malfoy and Miss. Granger, will be working together since both are Head boy and Girl at Hogwarts."

As McGonagall was giving instruction to the two of them, Hermione did not soak in one little word. She didn't even try. All she could think about was why McGonagall had assigned Draco as Head Boy.

When McGonagall had finally given both their orders, she escorted Draco and Hermione out the door.

While Hermione was still thinking, she was trudging herself back to the Gryffindor common room without even realizing it.

"Hermione this way—HERMIONE!" Draco called out after her. In a complete state of shock, Hermione slowly stopped herself in her tracks and turned around slowly.

"I thought I pertained of 'Mudblood' to you." Hermione retorted impatiently.

"You're not one to me anymore. You're just Hermione Granger." Draco murmured quietly. Hermione moved her feet silently and trailed after Draco in an awkward ambience.

When the Draco walked to the corridor leading to the Great Hall, he stopped immediately.

"McGonagall said we have to patrol these corridors, and keep an eye on the suspicious students lurking around," Draco said, avoiding eye contact with Hermione.

"I thought everyone was at Hogsmeade," Hermione replied, back to her rather bossy self again.

"Yes, but still, McGonagall's rules." He sighed. Hermione rolled her eyes at Draco and marched down to the end of the corridor to patrol while he was at the other end.

Seconds to minutes to hours passed, and no one is in sight of the Hogwarts corridors. Both Draco and Hermione stand there apart from each other, in the most discomfited silence anyone has ever experienced before. Both of them would just stand there, not making a sound, and just pretend that the latter wasn't there.

As the time went by quickly, Hermione was feeling a rather bit uncomfortable—in fact, more than just uncomfortable. She felt like it was an invisible barrier separating the two of them, enabling the two to speak, or even look at each other.

**A/N: Hey guys! :D I'm really (x10) sorry for not updating, for 6 weeks, I'm going to guess?(; I know this chapter was quite bad... I was rushing on it because I didn't want you guys to wait any longer...**

**I'd like to again, give another shout out to InventorOfFirebolt, for helping me with this story.**

**I will try my best to updating within a shorter amount of time. Sorry again...**

**Leave comments and tell me what you think. Chapter 4 will be coming shortly:)**


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning was a total blur. Right as Harry woke up, Ron standing right in front of Harry's four-poster bed.

"We're visiting Fred tonight," he whispered in a ghostly manner. Harry jumped in a state of shock just as Ron told him. Suddenly as he heard the word "Fred" and "grave", the coldness started spreading throughout his body once again, as if he just drowned in a freezing deep sea.

Harry simply nodded quickly and lied there in his bed motionless. He reached over to his dresser and grabbed his phoenix feather wand to ogle it. Looking at the wand he had had for seven years certainly brought back dark and dangerous memories.

By the end of the day, Harry and Ron mounted on their brooms silently. With the crescent moon mounted in the deep, mesmerizing sky, both of them flew through the air, the wind tousling their shaggy hair.

Harry and Ron soon arrived in Diagon Alley, with the air too cold and the buildings dark as ever. The light from the streetlamps, vividly and brightly glowing, were the only source of light both had. Ron purposely exhaled and a massive cloud of fog quickly formed around his face.

Both of them slowly walked down the street together, their footsteps clacking on the cement with heavy breathing coming from their lungs. Soon, the rusty, crooked sign, the broken windows, and the chipped paint told Harry and Ron that the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes joke shop was in sight.

"He's out back," Ron murmured. Harry looked at his shoes and wrinkled his nose.

"Where's Ginny and Hermione?" Harry whispered.

"They're meeting us there," he replied. Ron took out his deluminator and clicked it. All the light from the streetlamps went out in a blink of an eye. Darkness surrounded them everywhere.

"Why did you put them out?" Harry said more urgently and loudly this time.

"Don't want anyone seeing us," Ron said, his reply echoing throughout the muted street.

Both of them walked around George and Fred's old joke shop, and through the gates behind. The atmosphere got darker and darker as Harry and Ron got near the shop.

"Lumos," Harry whispered. His wand lit up instantly to the spell. He waved his wand all over the place, searching. Finally, he froze, with his arm in midair.

"There, I see them," Harry said. Both of them walked towards the area he pointed out. A redhead and brunette stood in front of something square and stone, back faced towards Ron and Harry, heads bowed. Ron strode up to the girls, took a look at the stone square, and fell to his knees. Harry walked up and read the fancy engravement on the stone.

_**Fredrick Weasley**_

_**1978-1998**_

_**Son of Molly and Arthur Weasley**_

"_**May you be forever loved, and never forgotten"**_

Next to the bottom right of Fred's grave, there was a small letter that was written:

_**We'll always be twin brothers, no matter what. I'll see you again someday, I promise. I love you Fred.**_

_**Mischief Managed**_

_**-George**_

A single shriveled, minuscule rose lay at the bottom of his grave. Hermione walked over to it and picked it up. She waved her wand around the grave and a wreath of healthy roses appeared next to Fred's grave suddenly.

Ginny laid her head on Harry's shoulders and sniffed gently. Harry wiped away her tears for her.

Soon, all four of them left without another sound. They looked to the ground, and Ron looked at Fred's grave for the last time. He sighed heavily.

The creak of the fence shook and surprised all of them slightly. Suddenly, footsteps could be heard and a shadow of a familiar boy showed up. Hermione frowned; no doubt she was utterly confused and curious. She walked forward to the anonymous figure and stopped in her tracks.

"Draco?"

**Hey guys! UGH I'm very sorry for the not updating any sooner -_- I know I promised that I would, but I don't know. Too many things were in the way. **

**To be honest, I think my writing is getting worse as it goes. I siriusly cannot think of anything good. **

**Oh! Also, I'm working on a new story, of the new generation? I hope it will be good :-/ **

**Please leave comments and tell me what you think ! Don't just write, "So good! Update soon!", or just "I like it!", please give me some advice and give me some ideas for my next chapter! Thanks guys, and please tell your friends about me (:**

**Since it's summer, I think I will have time to write more... But no promises (;**

**-Huff394**


	5. Chapter 5

Harry could hear Ron cursing under his breath.

_Draco?_ Harry thought. _Draco? What? I can't even see him. There's no way he is here. He probably got lost in Diagon Alley. _

"Hi Hermione," Draco said in an unusual bittersweet tone. He moved around uncomfortably.

"What—how—Fred?" Hermione sputtered confusingly. It seemed like she couldn't get any words out of her mouth no matter how hard she tried. But Ron filled in for her.

"Did you follow us here? You did! Malfoy followed us here so he could get revenge on us for putting his father in Azkaban! The war is over. Voldemort's gone. Go to Azkaban with the rest of your Death Eater friends! " Ron belted out. The words from his mouth echoed throughout the streets, drifted with the wind, and lingered in the sky. His words must've hit Draco right he said it, because about a millimeter of a second later, Draco was nose to nose with Ron.

"I said I was sorry, and if you don't want to accept it, then don't say a word to me," he seemed to be choosing his words extremely carefully, pausing after a few words to think of the next. The scowl on his face and the clench of his jaw told Harry that a little bit of the old vehement Draco was back.

"Then what are you doing here, STANDING NEXT TO MY OWN BROTHER'S GRAVE? Let him rest in peace. You're just making it worse!" growled Ron ferociously. It looked like he was on the verge of slapping him from Harry's eyes, but it was obvious that he was trying to hold it in. Talking about Fred was a definite challenge for him.

"I came to see your brother!" Draco exclaimed. Suddenly, he let go of his clenched fists that were turning his knuckles white. Ron looked mildly shocked. Ginny looked at Draco, paralyzed with her mouth agape. "I've always admired Fred and George, because they were always the center of attention at Hogwarts, with their jokes and tricks. I've always wanted to be friends with them, but I knew my father would never approve! I wanted to help out with the joke shop ever since it opened, but my father scolded me for asking him about such rubbish! My father ruined my life!" He confessed. The more and more Draco said, the more he seemed to be breaking apart. His face turned tomato red, his fists went back to clenching, and it showed on his face that he was trying to hold back his tears.

"After seven years of utter hatred towards you, do you really think I would believe all that? Do really think I would believe that you actually _liked_ my brothers? You hated us Weasleys! Day to night! And your father thinks working in a joke shop is rubbish? What you all just said: That's—that's—that's what I call rubbish! Stop with all of this. And stay the hell away from my life Malfoy. I never want to see you again," Ron bellowed so hard that Draco had to wipe the spit off of his face. Ron glared at Draco one last time, and stalked off, with Ginny, Hermione, and Harry trailing behind him.

Halfway back down Diagon Alley, Hermione politely asked Ginny and Harry to leave and cornered Ron.

"Ron! What did you do that for?" Hermione demanded.

"What did I do wrong? He was lying!" Ron retorted back.

"He wasn't lying at all! How could you Ron, for telling him off like that?"

"That was Draco Malfoy! The boy we hated ever since our first year! Don't you remember? The one that tormented us and tortured us until we won the war?"

"Ron, I know that! He wasn't lying! You could tell! He was about to cry! And you just go off and yell at him? He really did like your brothers. He was mean to us from the very start because of his father all along. The Draco we met years ago was not the real Draco. This one, right now, right over there…" Hermione pointed a shaky finger towards Draco. "Is the real Draco." Ron quickly looked over to him as Draco formed a single lily with his wand and placed it gently and delicately next to Hermione's wreath of roses.

"But all those things—"

"Would you just give him a chance? I cannot believe you! He apologized once and he's not going to do it again. You're just that kind of person who never forgives." Hermione interrupted, now out of breath from all her talking.

"Fine! Then if you're not on my side, why don't you just leave me and go to Malfoy instead?" Ron grimaced.

"Maybe I will. At least he has a heart—unlike you, Ron Weasley."

**Hey guys again! (: LOL so I guess I kept my promise and updated very soon!**

**I'm proud of myself today. I mean one day update-that's a record ! This story is getting more interesting for me so it's getting easier to write xD So yeah. I'm still developing on the 'Dramione' thing, so I doubt the new story I told you guys about the new generation will be up any soon... But it will be up one day. No promises again...**

**Kk thanks guys(: I kinda finished this chapter under pressure cuz my friends were pressuring me to update. But anything for them so... :D**

**~394**


End file.
